Dice box



Feb. 17, 1953 E. LATUBE, JR 2,628,840 DICE BOX A Filed on. 25, 1949 Fig.

32 31 I4 l Hg. 2. 3a 36 /2 Edward Laub, Jr.

In ventar By WWW 39% Patented Feb. 17, 1953 DICE BOX Edward Laube, Jr., Chicago, Ill., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Taylor and Company, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 25, 1949, Serial No. 123,457

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in dice boxes and the principal object of the invention is toprevent the operator from cheating by using What in the art is known as the switch shake, dump shot or peek shake, such as are commonly utilized by unscrupulous operators inasmuch as they are least susceptible to detection.

Inasmuch as the procedures involved in executing these unscrupulous practices are well known in the art, a detailed explanation thereof in this application is considered unnecessary.

However, it may be stated that the switch shake involves a retention of a die or dice in the palm of the hand exteriorly of the box, and the primary feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of reflective surfaces on the box so that the palmed dice may be exposed and their presence detected through the medium of the reflective means.

On the other hand, the dump shot and peek shake involve the retention of a die or dice against the inner surface of the upper edge of the cup or box by the operator's fingers in such manner that faces of the die are parallel to the open end of the box, and another feature of the instant invention lies in the provision of a bevelled flange at the open end of the box which prevents positioning of the dice in that region in the stated, predetermined relation.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its foolproof operation and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention, and,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a dice box designated generally by the reference character II), this embodying in its construction a substantially cylindrical receptacle or cup l2 having an open upper end [4 and including a lateral wall l6 which is formed from any suitable transparent material. On the other hand, the bottom I8 of the receptacle need not be transparent, being preferably formed from rubber, or the like, and being provided with an annular groove 20 wherein the lower edge portion of the lateral wall l6 may be firmly pressed. Moreover, the bottom I8 may be formed integrally with an annular rim or bead 22 extending, for a short distance, upwardly on the outer surface of the lateral wall [6, as shown.

The essence of novelty of the invention resides in the provision of a coating of reflective material 24 on the inner surface 26 of the lateral wall I6, it being noted that the lower portion of that surface is substantially cylindrical while its upper portion, also reflectively coated, is inwardly tapered as indicated at 28 so that the reflective coating on this tapered portion is directed upwardly and outwardly with respect to the open end M of the receptacle. Accordingly, when the invention is placed in use, the reflective coating 24 will effectively expose any dice such as may be held in the palm exteriorly of the wall [6, this, of course, being facilitated by the refiection of light rays passing through the lateral wall [6 of the receptacle. Moreover, the upward conversion of the lateral wall surface portion 28 will provide in the open end region of the receptacle an angular reflection of light rays, so that the dice will be exposed and easily detected even though they may be held as far on the exterior of the box as the rim 22.

A layer of shock absorbing material 30, such as felt, etc., is provided on the inner surface of the reflective coating 24 so a to effectively protect that coating from damage by the shaking of dice within the receptacle.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the provision of the reflective coating 24 will effectively expose what is known as the switch shake, while the dump shot and peek shake are prevented by the provision of an inwardly projecting, annular flange 32 at the open end I4 of the receptacle [2.

This flange has an upwardly and outwardly bevelled upper surface 34, so that if dice are placed against this surface, it will not be possible to have faces thereof disposed in a plane parallel to the upper end of the receptacle and cheating will thus be prevented.

The bevelled surface 34 terminates in a sharp lower edge 36 while the lower surface 38 of the flange 32 is disposed in a horizontal plane, whereby the dice are caused to tumble when they are thrown outwardly from the receptacle.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is:

A dice box comprising a substantiallylcylim drical receptacle having a transparent lateral wall and an open upper end, and a coating of reflective material provided on the inner surface. of said wall, the intermediate portion of said inner surface being inwardly tapered whereby the refiective coating thereon is directly upwardly and outwardly from the open end of the receptacle, and the upper end portion of said inner surface being outwardly tapered to provide an annular bevelled edge on the open upper end.

EDWARD LAUBE, JR.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,127,303 Son Feb. 2, 1915 1,629,142 Bonnell May 1'7, 192'? 2,060,463 Gessler Nov. 10, 1936 2,148,097 Bowman Feb. 21, 1939 2,191,160 -Bobinson Feb. 20, 1940 2,227,248 Day Dec. 31, 1940 2,411,955 Colbert et a1 Dec. 3, 1946 

